Broken
by Gwenhwyfar1984
Summary: They were both broken after the battle in the Marine Cathedral. Sequel to Confession.


Title: Broken

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Haruka/Michiru

Warnings: Um...Wounds? Nothing bad

Season: S, Episode 111.

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi, Bandai, and other large companies. I am in no way affiliated with those companies and I gain no profit from this fanfic.

Summary: They were both broken after the battle in the Marine Cathedral…

A/N: This is a sequel to my fanfic Confession, but it does not have to have read that to understand this.

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><p>It was over. That was the first thought that Michiru had as she closed the bathroom door and turned on the water in the bathtub. It was finally over. The talismans that she had been searching for for over a year had been found.<p>

But at what cost?

She peeled off her clothes and surveyed herself in the mirror. Her hair hung limp around her shoulders and her entire body was covered in bruises and cuts. They stood out against her pale skin. Black and blue and red and a reminder of the sacrifice she had made. For the duty she was charged with.

No, not the duty. It had been far from for the duty.

She turned off the tap and gingerly got into the bath. She gave an anguished cry as the water hit her wounds, but she quickly bit her lip. She didn't want Haruka to hear her. She had hidden her pain through the battle and all the way home. Neither of them had spoken, and for once she was grateful.

But now that she was alone she could give in to the emotions that had been churning inside of her since before the battle. She waited, but no tears came. She was still cried out from before. Instead she looked down at her arms and legs and felt anger. Anger that this was her lot in life. Battling, almost dying, coming back battered and bruised, only to do it all over again.

Growling, she picked up her bottle of conditioner and threw it across the room. She held her face in her hands for a few moments before she was calm enough to begin cleaning her wounds. She was nearly in tears by the time that she was done. Wincing, she got out of the now pink tinged water and proceeded to dry off. A few of the wounds had started bleeding again, and she applied a bandage to them. Finally, she was able to get into her pajamas, glad that they were sleeveless and lightweight.

She was so focused on getting to her room and lying down that she didn't hear Haruka enter the hall.

"Michiru?"

Michiru turned around and put her cool, soldier mask on. She didn't want Haruka to see how much she was hurting. "Yes?"

Haruka walked up to her and reached out, lightly touching the bruises. She lightly ran her fingers up Michiru's arm to the edge of her pajama top. She motioned for Michiru to turn around and Michiru did. Not speaking, Michiru felt Haruka lift the pajama top and run her hand over the wounds.

"Haru—" She began.

"Never again." Haruka whispered.

"What?" She asked, turning around.

She was surprised to see Haruka standing there with tears falling down her face. She started to reach out to her but Haruka brushed her away.

"Never do that again. Never…" She muffled a sob.

"I-I won't." She replied, not quite knowing what she was agreeing to.

"You…went away. You…"

Michiru pulled her into a hug, ignoring Haruka's struggling against it and her own pain. "I won't go away again. I swear."

"You said that you loved me and then went away." Haruka sobbed. Michiru just held her.

She wasn't completely shocked that the young woman had finally broken down. They had been through so much, and Haruka had always been the strong one. Michiru wasn't. Michiru was the one who followed, drawing on Haruka's strength to keep going.

Michiru was the one who had said that she loved Haruka, right before the battle. She was the one who had fought against arrows piercing her body…not to stop the enemy because of the mission, but to stop her from killing Haruka. She was the weak one…

"I'm sorry." She said. "I'm sorry."

Haruka stopped struggling and leaned against her, her body wracked with silent sobs. Michiru felt tears come to her own eyes at seeing her girlfriend so broken like this. But she blinked them away. Now she had to be the strong one.

It scared her.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before Haruka sniffed and stopped crying.

"Take me with you next time." She muttered.

"I will. I promise, next time we will go together."

They both knew that there would be a next time. It was the way of the Senshi. And next time there would be no eleventh hour reprieve. There would be no Sailor Pluto coming to their rescue. It would be the end, completely.

But they would go together, and that was all that mattered.


End file.
